Tambores de Agua

Director:

Clarissa Duque

Country:

Venezuela

Year:

2009

Cast:

Tatiana Gómez

Run Time:

75 mins

Synopsis

In the company of the contemporary dancer Tatiana Gómez, whose presence is the narrative thread of the film, the director investigates the different expressions of music in Venezuela, and the strength of their African roots. The very particular and evocative practice that allows the encounter of two continents, Africa and America, is represented by the “tambores de água” (water drums). The result of two years of research, the film documents the relationship with today’s communities of African origin in the area of Barlovento, Venezuela and their survival in the age of globalization.

Framed in a contemporary cultural discourse of resistance, this documentary -shot in both Venezuela and Cameroon- researches the traditions of Venezuelan black communities descended from the Maroons. Through the ringing sound of water, the Water Drum claims the collective memory and become a binding connection between Africa and its descendants in Venezuela.